sevice truck (cold weather start ideas)???

[earthscratcher]

what do you guys use or carry that make your cold day start ups a lot easier??

any body ever see quick disconnects installed on a service truck that run the hot anti freeze from the running vehicle into the cold equipment, the equipment would also need the quick disconnect with valve installed also,just not sure where you would install the connections to make it flow properly.

I think a buddy had a skidder from Minnesota that had this setup, just never seen it before.

 

[RLU_tech]

I guess I don't understand how you would circulate the hot coolant into the cold engine with a closed t-stat? Maybe I'm missing something. Just seems like to much stress on your service trucks engine and cooling system. Plus, on today's vehicles, it seems every brand and engine has its own specific coolant that shouldn't be cross contaminated with other coolants.

 

[earthscratcher]

most of the stuff I would work on is pre computer all the same coolants,why not tap into the heater core, pressure side out, then return side in,would this in rush of colder coolant cause stress on engine??

 

[Delmer]

That setup is common on skidders to warm them up with a pickup, I've never heard of anybody doing it with a service truck, the different coolant types would be a problem, unless you maintain all your antifreeze the same.

The other problem I've heard with the method is cracking heads from too much change too fast. That can be overcome by adding a circulating pump to the cold engine, and running off the heater hoses on the pickup. If you added a heat exchanger along with the circulating pump, you could heat the cold engine with no chance of cracking or mixing antifreeze.

 

[RLU_tech]

most of the stuff I would work on is pre computer all the same coolants,why not tap into the heater core, pressure side out, then return side in,would this in rush of colder coolant cause stress on engine??

That may work. I just think to get the hot coolant in the cold engine, you must first push out the cold coolant. Won't that be difficult with a closed thermostat?

 

[lantraxco]

The thermostat just shuts off flow to the radiator on most engines, if you hook into both heater hoses for instance you would circulate through the block and maybe heads just fine I think...

There are some nice self contained diesel fired engine coolant heaters you can install.

 

[earthscratcher]

yes this application was the skidder one,wondered why it was not used else where, but cracking heads would not be good.looks like a guy needs engine block heaters on everything if it has no glow plugs.

in arctic conditions, when they change the oil, they claim to keep the engine running,how do they change the filter??

 

[nowing75]

We use it on race cars to get heat in it to Qualifie. It's an electric box with a pump

 

[willie59]

Being in East Tennessee I'm glad I don't have to deal with severe cold problems all that much, just sporadic events at best. But the question, how do you use a service truck to assist equipment cold starts? Is this something you frequently have to do with a machine you need to work on? Or is the service truck being used as the vehicle that brings a jobsite fleet to life in the morning? Just asking out of curiosity. Again, I don't have to deal with this problem all that often. But just to throw something else out there, and I'm not suggesting this will be the solution to your problem, but something I have used on my service truck to help bring a frozen machine to life is an oil fired fan forced space heater and some tarps. Powered by the welder/generator on the service truck, one of those heaters can heat an engine up real quick.

 

[earthscratcher]

mainly the service truck is used to get stuff up and running in the morning,i usually do not have to warm it up to work on, but sometimes this is nice on cold hands.

just looking for ideas that mechanics use to get stuff up and going in cold conditions.

one thing I seem to use a lot is the miller 302 air pac with the 24v/12v battery charge system,the battery charger gets used more then the welder.

 

[lantraxco]

yes this application was the skidder one,wondered why it was not used else where, but cracking heads would not be good.looks like a guy needs engine block heaters on everything if it has no glow plugs.

in arctic conditions, when they change the oil, they claim to keep the engine running,how do they change the filter??

Some of the tugboat engines I was around had dual oil and fuel filter setups. The fuel system was handy if you were in a tight spot (under tow, 70 knot winds, thirty footers crashing on the bow, barge trying to sail over the top of you, where it might be a tad inconvenient to shut a main down to swap out plugged up fuel filters.) You just opened up the ball valves for the bypass filter(s) and closed the ball valves for the filters you wanted to change out. There were of course bypass reliefs if you did a silly and closed off all the valves. Same deal on the oil filters but I don't recall having to use them, then again we seldom were outside for more than a week or two. Not like a run to American Samoa from Long Beach, that would have been fun.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I'm with you willey.. here in SC its going to be 79* on X-mas..
besides.. I don't work when its cold.. I don't work when its hot.. and I don't work in the rain.. LOL

 

[kshansen]

I'm with you willey.. here in SC its going to be 79* on X-mas..
besides.. I don't work when its cold.. I don't work when its hot.. and I don't work in the rain.. LOL

Trying hard not to make some nasty reply!

How you doing with the pain meds? Any progress on sorting through the shop fire remains?

 

[thepumpguysc]

LOL..
I'm down to one a day.. and trying hard to get to none..
I have a guy w/ a backhoe on stand by.. just have to rent the dumpster.. I had planned on it for next week but the rain is moving in..
There isn't a "landfill" that's close by or I would just get a dump truck.. guess I'll have to pay up for a container and let them deal with it..

 

[simonsrplant]

I've heard of the idea of quick couplers and coolant, seems plausible but there is no way I'd risk it with my truck. You could potentially wind up causing a load of bother if the coolant was conataminated for any reason.
When I was way up north, I has 12 and 24 on my Miller bobcat, (essential) mad a large herman Nelson I'd crane in and out. Yeah it was a bit of a trauma, but it worked.

 

[old-iron-habit]

We have used quick couplers and hoses to heat engines in the woods for the last 50 years. I can not comment on cross contamination as all our machines use the same coolant. We install Tee's with quick couplers in the heater lines on the truck that does the heating. We install quick couplers on the engine to be heated. One at the block drain and one out of the head behind the t-stat. I have never found an engine without at least two places to connect behind the t-stat. When ready to heat we connect the hoses, the outgoing warm one to the bottom of the cold engine. After connecting simply turn the heater control down so the valve shuts and it will push the coolant into the cold engine. In 10 to 15 minutes they start like summer. I always remove the supply hose first and wait a second before I unhook the return hose. This allows the now running engine to push a bit of coolant back into the heating vehicle. Other wise you lose a bit of coolant into the cold engine each time you heat it as when the engine cools it contracts a bit on the coolant and the head has some space that the jumper vehicle fills as it pushes warm juice thru it. The cold engine will later push it out the overflow when it warms up and expands the coolant. Years ago we rolled the coolant hose up under the hood of the jumper truck but know we use couplers on both ends as we can keep then in the truck. They are much softer and easier to work with when warm. Good luck on whatever you do.

 

[ol'stonebreaker]

Unless you a large fleet to start, what's wrong w/ a freezeplug heater in each rig and a little cheap 900w HF generator to power each one unless they're parked close enough to power off one gennie. Someone show up a couple of hrs early and get everything heating up.
Mike

 

[earthscratcher]

old iron, thanks for the info,do you ever have problems with cracking heads with this application??

 

[bushcat]

we use Wabasco diesel fired engine heaters on a 7 day timer work very well or old school propane hockey stick heaters or propane pot heaters that you hook to your antifreeze lines, machines start very well in frigid temps

 

[Mobiltech]

Espar or webasto heaters are the best way to go. Program the timer and the engine will be warm in an hour and ready to go to work when you get there. You can run the hot coolant through tubes in the hydraulic tank too for even better results. It's amazing how much heat they put out on very little fuel.
I run an Espar air heater in my work trailer controlled by a thermostat. It works great. Maximum fuel use is 1/3 of a litre an hour.